Apparatus for removing surface pollutants and bottom muck from a body of water

ABSTRACT

An apparatus includes a head with an open mouth at a front end and communicating with an internal throat that extends to an outlet at a rear end of the head. A flexible hose connects to the outlet leading to a suction pump and holding tank on land or a floating vessel. A water jet drive system for moving the head in a forward direction and for turning while moving in the forward direction and including independently controlled left and right water jets on lower sides or a bottom of the head. Surface pollutants or bottom muck are sucked into the open mouth upon forward movement (i.e., straight, left or right) of the head along a surface or bottom of a body of water. The pollutants/bottom muck are moved through the head by suction and exit the outlet where they are pumped to the holding tank for treatment and disposal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus for removal of algae and other pollutants from the surface of a body of water, as well as removal of muck from a bottom of a body of water, and more particularly, to a head with an open mouth that is moved across the surface of the water, or the bottom of a body of water, for capturing the pollutants which are then pumped to a holding tank for treatment and disposal.

Discussion of the Related Art

Recent algae blooms and oil spills in coastal waters, harbors and inland waterways have dramatically emphasized the need for an effective and efficient means for removing slime, algae, oil and other pollutants from the surface of a body of water. It is ecologically imperative that any pollutant resulting from oil spills, algae blooms or other forms of floating pollution be quickly removed to prevent contamination of coastal areas and death of marine life, wildlife and vegetation. Various systems, devices and methods have been proposed by others for removing pollutants from coastal and inland waters. However, the proposed solutions have been found to be too costly, inefficient and/or not effective. Accordingly, there remains an urgent need for an apparatus that can efficiently and effectively remove algae blooms, oil spills, slime, bottom muck and other pollutants from coastal and inland waters in a cost effective manner.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

Considering the forgoing, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that safely removes toxic surface algae, oil, slime and other pollutants from the surface of a body of water in an efficient and cost effective manner.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that can be moved along a bottom of a body of water for removing bottom muck in an efficient and cost effective manner.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for removal of algae, slim, surface mass, oil, fluids and other floating pollutants from the surface of a body of water, and wherein the apparatus includes a head that is moved along the surface of the water via a remotely controlled jet drive system to cause the surface pollutants to enter an open mouth of the head where they can then be pumped to a holding tank on land, or on a floating vessel, for transport, treatment and disposal.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for removing surface pollutants and bottom muck from a body of water, and wherein the apparatus can be operated from a floating vessel (e.g., a boat, barge or floating platform) or on land.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for removing surface pollutants and bottom muck from a body of water, and wherein the apparatus can be efficiently connected to a land vehicle, such as a truck, that pumps the pollutants into a holding tank for transport, treatment and disposal.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are more readily apparent with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an apparatus for removal of algae, slime, surface mass, fluids and other floating pollutants from the surface of a body of water, as well as for removal of bottom muck from a body of water. The apparatus includes a head with an open mouth at a front end and communicating with an internal throat that extends to an outlet at a rear end of the head. A flexible hose connects to the outlet and extends to a suction pump and holding tank on land or a floating vessel. The head is moved along the surface of the water via a water jet drive system causing the surface pollutants to be sucked into the open mouth of the head where they pass through the throat and hose and are pumped to the holding tank for transport, treatment and disposal. The water jet drive system includes left and right jet drives including jet discharge fittings on a bottom or lower sides of the head. The left and right jet drives connect, via flexible hoses, to a pressurized water supply on land or on a floating vessel. The left and right jet drives can be independently controlled using separate valves to direct the pressurized water flow to either or both the left and right jet drives. This allows the head to be moved either in a straight forward direction, upon pressurized water flow being directed to both the left and right jet drives or, alternatively, allowing the head to be turned to the left or right, by directing the pressurized water flow to only one of the left or right jet drives. The head can be weighted to cause it to sink to the bottom of the body of water where it can be moved while it sucks up bottom muck that is pumped to the holding tank for transport and disposal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing the floating head of the apparatus of the present invention moving along a surface of a body of water in accordance with a first mode of operation;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the floating head of the apparatus of the present invention showing connection of a flexible hose to an outlet and left and right pressurized water supply lines connected at the back end of the head;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view, taken along the plane of the line indicated by the arrows 3-3 in FIG. 2, showing movement of the surface pollutants into the open mouth and through the throat of the head of the apparatus for pumping to a remote holding tank, as indicated by the directional arrows, and further showing the movement of pressurized water flow through one of the left and right jet drives for controlling movement of the head in a forward direction;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the head of the apparatus of the present invention showing the left and right water jet drive fittings on the bottom of the head with discharged water flow indicated by the directional arrows, and further showing connection of the pollutant discharge hose and left and right pressurized water supply connections at the rear end of the head;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view, similar to that as shown in FIG. 3, and showing the head of the apparatus of the present invention moved in a forward direction on a body of water, in accordance with a second mode of operation, wherein the head is weighted to sit lower in the water so that a greater amount of the surface water and pollutants enters the open mouth upon forward movement of the head; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the components of the apparatus of the present invention.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the several views of the drawings, the apparatus of the present invention is shown and is generally indicated as 10. The apparatus is specifically designed for removing surface pollutants and bottom muck from a body of water and includes a head 20 that is formed of a buoyant material that allows the head to float on the surface of the water, unless weights are added to allow the head to sink lower in the water or to the bottom. The head 20 includes an open mouth 30 at a forward end. The open mouth has a bottom lip 32 and an overhanging member 34 and extends out and beyond the bottom lip. The open mouth 30 is preferably shaped to include a dip or bowl 36 behind the bottom lip 32 that allows water and pollutants to be captured within the mouth so that they can be moved through an internal throat 38 that extends from a back of the mouth to an outlet 42 at a rear end 40 of the head 20. Alternatively, the mouth can be structured to have a convex shape behind the bottom lip 32 (i.e., as opposed to the dip or bowl) to reduce the amount of water intake while pulling the surface pollutants over and around the convex shape before entering into the throat 38. A flexible hose 50 connects to the outlet 42 and extends to a suction pump 60 (see FIG. 6) which sucks the pollutants into the mouth 30 and pulls the pollutants and water through the throat 38 and flexible hose 50 for discharge into a holding tank 70. The suction pump 60 and holding tank 70 can be located on land or on a floating vessel (e.g., a boat, barge or platform). In one embodiment, the holding tank 70 and suction pump 60 are carried on a truck that can be positioned along the shoreline when operating the apparatus 10. Once the holding tank 70 is filled, the apparatus 10 can be disconnected and the truck can transport the captured pollutants to a facility for treatment and disposal.

Referring to FIGS. 3-5, a water jet drive system 80 is provided for moving the head 20 in a forward direction, either along the surface of the water, or along the bottom, and for turning the head 20 left or right. This allows the head 20 to be properly directed so that the pollutants are sucked into the open mouth 30 where they are then pumped to the holding tank 70, as described above. The jet drive system 80 includes left and right jet drives 82, 83, that direct a thrust of water that exits from left and right jet nozzles 84, 85 or discharge fittings, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3-5. The left and right jet drives 82, 83 include fittings 87, 88 on the rear end of the head for connection of flexible hoses 90, 92 thereto that deliver the pressurized flow of water to the left and right jet drives. As seen in FIG. 6, the flexible hoses 90, 92 lead to the pressurized water supply 100 and are provided with valve controls 96, 98 for independently controlling pressurized water flow to each of the left and right jet drives. More specifically, valves 93, 94 are provided near the pressurized water supply 100, which can be on land (i.e., along the shoreline) or on a floating vessel. Left and right valve controls 96, 98 can be operated to selectively direct the pressurized water flow through either or both of the left and right flexible hoses 90, 92 that lead to the jet drives. To move the head 20 in a straight forward direction, both valves 93, 94 are opened so that pressurized water flow is directed to each of the left and right jet drives. To turn the head 20 to the right, the right valve 94 is closed and the left valve 93 is opened so that only pressurized water flow is directed to the left jet drive. Similarly, to turn the head to the left, the left valve 93 is closed and the right valve 94 is opened to direct the pressurized water flow to only the right jet drive.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a first mode of operation of the apparatus of the present invention is shown, wherein the head 20 sits high in the water, so that a top edge 33 of the bottom lip 32 is slightly above or even with the surface of the body of water, causing the surface pollutants to spill over the bottom lip 32, and into the mouth 30, as the head 20 moves in a forward direction and the surface pollutants are sucked into the mouth. In this mode of operation, a minimal amount of water enters the mouth 30 so that most of the captured material is the surface pollutants.

FIG. 5 shows a second mode of operation, wherein the head 20 is weighted slightly to sit lower in the water so that the top surface of the body of water is slightly above the top edge 33 of the bottom lip 32. This allows for the capture of pollutants that are chunky or that are partially submerged below the surface, so that a greater amount of surface water and pollutants enter the mouth 30.

A third mode of operation (not shown), is provided wherein the head 20 is weighted sufficiently to cause the head to sink to the bottom of the body of water. This allows the head to be moved along the bottom surface to pick up bottom muck that can be pumped to the holding tank 70 for transport, treatment and disposal.

While the present invention has been shown and described in accordance with a preferred and practical embodiment, it is recognized that departures from the instant disclosure are fully contemplated within the spirit and scope of the present invention which is not to be limited except as defined in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for removing surface pollutants and bottom muck from a body of water comprising: a head including an open mouth at a front end, an outlet and an internal throat extending between and communicating with the open mouth and the outlet; a suction pump; a flexible hose having a first end for connection to the outlet of the head and an opposite second end for connection to the suction pump for creating suction at the open mouth of the head and for pulling liquid, semi-solid material and solid material through the open mouth and internal throat, and through the flexible hose; and a propulsion system for moving the head on a surface of the body of water and on a bottom of the body of water.
 2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the head is buoyant so that the head normally floats on the surface of the body of water.
 3. The apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein the open mouth includes a bottom lip including a top edge.
 4. The apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein the head floats on the surface of the body of water with the surface of the body of water below the top edge of the bottom lip.
 5. The apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein the head floats on the surface of the body of water with the surface of the body of water above the top edge of the bottom lip.
 6. The apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein the head is weighted to cause the head to sink to a bottom of the body of water for removing bottom muck.
 7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the suction pump is connected to a holding tank and the liquid, semi-solid material and solid material is sucked through the open mouth, internal throat and flexible hose and is directed into the holding tank by the suction pump.
 8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the propulsion system is a water jet drive system.
 9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein the water jet drive system includes a left jet drive and a right jet drive on a bottom of the head for moving the head in a forward direction along the surface of the body of water, or on the bottom of the body of water, and the left jet drive and the right jet drive being further structured and disposed for turning the head to the left or right while moving in the forward direction. 